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By Bethany Bella Fiery columns of smoke and

ames are remnants of a memory

that I carry from the BP Gulf of

Mexico oil spill back in 2010. I

remember the devastation, the

incredible loss of aquatic biodi-

versity, the insurmountable gal-

lons of oil leaking unto beaches,

cloaking itself in seagulls, sea

otters, dolphins, and more. Its

hard to forget Americas most

infamous oil spill in history when

youre an environmental advo-

cate.

While this 87-day oil leak-

age from the Deepwater Horizon

oil rig is one of the most jarring

environmental tragedies that has

occurred within the past decade,

another highly-catastrophic oil

spill and its repercussions are still

surfacing some 25 years later

theExxon Valdez oil spill.

Alaskas Prince William

Sound was blanketed with almost

11 million gallons of crude oil on

March 24, 1989. Countless num-

bers of sea creatures drowned in

waters thick with crude thou-

sands of otters perished, hundreds

of thousands of birds were killed,

while almost 1,200 miles of

shoreline were splattered with the

spills belching excess. It was a

dark day for environmental stew-

ards across the globe.

As the quarter-century anni-

versary dawns this spring, chemi-

cal analysts are again investigat-

ing the once-pristine oceanic

habitat. Their ndings are quite

alarming: oil has retained a

persistent presence in the Sound

surroundings, clinging to rocks

and boulders along the Alaskan

coast for over 20 years. Surpris-

ingly still, the oil contains almost

the same chemical compounds

as oil sampled 11 days after theinitial spill.

Even after Exxon invested

billions of dollars into Valdez

cleanup, why are we still nd-

ing this resource oating in the

Alaskan shores of Kenai Fjords

and Katmai National Parks and

Preserves? Why has this par-

ticular toxin pervaded all of our

eradicating efforts?

According to Gail Irvine, amarine ecologist with the U.S.

Geological Survey and lead

researcher of the Gulf of Alaska

study, when the oil rst spilled

from the tanker, it encountered

seawater and formed a sludge-

like mixture. This oil-soup has

unique chemical qualities that

allow it to resist degradation.

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When oil forms into the

foam, the outside is weather-

ing, but the inside isnt. Its

like mayonnaise left out on

the counter. The surface will

crust over, but the inside of the

clump still looks like mayon-

naise, Irvine said.

This emulsion, with aid

from crashing waves, coated

rocks and boulders along the

Prince William Sound after

torrents of oil were depositedinto the Gulf. Because the

boulders on the beaches dont

move great amounts each year

(less than 3.3 feet in 18 years),

that stability is

what has allowed

the oil to persist,

Irvine adds. Even

after the coast was

steam-cleaned,

the oil managed to

evade all additional

forms of cleanup,

including cleanup

in recent years, with upgraded

technologies and methods.

The oil is continuing to

leak out into the ocean from

its boulder-shrouded conne,

although marine biologists

arent too concerned yet.

Irvine and colleagues collected

mussels near the boulder elds,

testing them for oil contamina-

tion. The analysts discovered

low levels ofExxon Valdezoil

in their tissues, although Irvinesaid, The levels are so low

that it probably isnt a cause

for concern for the animals.

But its still there, still pollut-

ing an ecosystem after years

of dedicated oil-obliterating

schemes.

Irvine and her fellow re-searchers are aiming to make

the public aware that freshly-

spilled oil has the potential

to linger in the environment

long after man has deemed it

clean. I can only imagine the

onslaught of terrors that the

BP oil is continuing to wreak

on our oceans how long is

this slippery substance goingto remain encased in oceanic

habitats, or will it ever dete-

riorate? Have we dumped too

much into our big-blue drain to

ush out all the pollutants?

I sincerely hope this bleak

surmise is not one of prophecy,

merely one of ctional, dys-

topian America. If those who

are environmentally passionate

act now in preventing futureoil spills form devastating sea

waters, we can save our oceans

for millions of years to come.

Alaskan waters shortly after

theExxon Valdezoil spill,

1989.

Marine animals

coated in the oil

-Exxonaftermath.